On Saturday, January 14th, the Grand County Winter Search and Rescue Team will be having a winter rescue training at the Geyser Pass Trailhead. WSAR members should meet at the EOC at 9:00 am. For those of you who will be late, the training will start at 10:00 at the trail head.

The BOTTOM LINE for Saturday will be an Avalanche Danger of LOW in most areas of the La Sal and Abajo Mountains with isolated wind slabs at and above treeline that may be reactive to a snow enthusiast, creating pockets of MODERATE.

Although our snow situation is pretty dire, any new snow CAN and WILL increase the avalanche danger significantly. With a couple of storms lined up for the region, be careful anywhere you travel...the snow will be reactive once a new snow load has accumulated then transported by wind. Winter has started very mildly, but it is still winter!

The high and dry weather that has been dominating the Great Basin appears to be moving out of the region and may be affecting the La Sal and Abajo Mountains starting Sunday night. Models place most of the energy to the North of southeast, Utah. Either pray to ULLR, sell yourself to the devil or plan a back country ski vacation towards or beyond northern Utah.

The good news is: we still have a groomed Nordic track. LUNA volunteers went up Friday and groomed into Gold Basin. Nordic and skate skiing or climbing a mountain peak are still your best options.

Camp Jackson down in the Abajo's hold 20" of snow on the ground, while the Geyser Pass Trailhead has just over a foot. The Gold Basin study plot has approximately two feet of snow on the ground.

Back country skiing conditions is a mixed bag of: bare ground or a variety of crusts on south and west aspects, while the shady sides hold a rocky, stumpy facet garden.

If we do have a sacrificial lamb out there and we receive snow out of this pending storm barreling down from the Pacific Northwest, we do have enough snow on shady aspects to give us trouble. Just because there is a LOW danger currently, new snow and wind can and will change our mountains into a very tender and dangerous place to recreate. STAYTUNEDIN.

No recent avalanche activity to discuss.

@ 10,000' in Gold Basin, La Sal Mountains, Utah Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 40. East northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west southwest. Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 21. South southeast wind between 10 and 15 mph. Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 38. Southwest wind between 10 and 15 mph. Sunday Night: A 30 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy and breezy, with a low around 21. M.L.King Day: A 40 percent chance of snow. Partly sunny and breezy, with a high near 29. Monday Night: A slight chance of snow. Partly cloudy and blustery, with a low around 10.

The Utah Avalanche Center in Moab is hosting a three day AIARE Level I AIAREclass on Friday, February 3rd through Sunday February 5th. The class benefits the Friends of the La Sal Avalanche Center. Call 435-636-3335 for more information or to sign up.